South Africa Assumes SADC Chair and Holds Successful Summit

South Africa has assumed the role of Chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) since August 2017, taking over from the Kingdom of Swaziland. The country successfully hosted the 37th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government from 09th – 20th August 2017 in Pretoria under the theme: “Partnering with the private sector in developing industry and regional value-chains”. The summit, which took place on 19 – 20 August, was preceded by a Senior Officials’ Meeting on 11 – 14 August, a Ministerial Meeting on 16 August and the Double Troika on 18 August. All the meetings took place at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), OR Tambo Building in Pretoria.

The 37th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit ended in Pretoria on 20 August with a commitment to use the region's natural resources to drive projects that will have economic development benefits for citizens.